Anything for you
by imboredplshelp
Summary: Slight Au: Azula had lost everything, willingly given up everything she had just for a chance for praise. Than, when she failed she was thrown away, like a broken toy. So she lost her will, her spark. Thus, when given just one miracle, she treasures it with all her might and doesn't let go. Ps: no clue what im doing reviews are appreciated
1. Chapter 1

**An: my first story :)**

 **english is my first language but my mastery of it is kinda poor cause I speak two languages.**

 **Tbh I don't even know why I wrote this but I had a lot of ideas in my head which involved Azula finding Naruto at different ages and I finally decided to write one on after the fire lords defeat. I also find it veryunrealistic that Zuko was able to hold his own against Azula because she was given advanced training and strived for perfection while he struggled to try to learn the concepts. So, I'm throwing my own twist in. Criticisms are welcomed and lessons to help improve my grammar will be gladly accepted.**

 **Disclamer: Avatar the last airbender and Naruto belong to their own respective owners. I own nothing.**

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

 _Flashbacks_

She has lost. Lost her prestige, her power, her father's favor. So when given one good thing just one, even when it may not be so, she takes hold of it and never lets go.

Thinking back she knew when she had lost everything, her fathers betrayal only cemented it. The last one in a long line of betrayals. First, mother's at the age of nine, brothers's at ten, uncle's at eleven her two best friend's at fourteen and lastly her father's at fifteen. All her life she had been betrayed. For what? Wanting attention? Wanting praise? For wanting to be wanted?

She had always known that the actions she took while following her father was wrong. She was a prodigy. Thus, she obviously knew that her actions would be considered unethical. In fact, she had known from a young age and couldn't be bothered. Acting out was just one way she could get attention and she basked in it. After all, she always only got let off with a light punishment and she also got recognition she craved, no matter how insignificant, from her father; a scolding here and there, a reminder not to act out again yet always he would spend some of his precious time with her, for her. It was why she kept acting out to get his attention, however short, because at least he gave her some unlike both her mother and brother. Was it so wrong that all she wanted, all she cared about was his approval especially since her mother had not bothered to give her any? As a little girl only wanting the same undivided attention she turned to her other parent even if it would be a grave mistake.

She had spent many sleepless nights refining her persona, her personal prodigious ability to split her own yin and yang, to split her mind from her body, to split what she really was from how she outwardly acted. (She still remembers smirking cruelly in the throne room as she burned a traitor to death. Than crying herself to sleep once back in the confines of her royal chambers. Still remembers how the mask snaps when her only two friends betray her. How she raged outwardly in public only to breakdown in to tears in her self-imposed isolation) Years of perfecting the outside mask allowed her to master lightning near instantly by seamlessly splitting her ying and yang, her mind from her body. Hours spent outside training after dark, unseen by her brother or mother, to further her already prodigious ability helped her discover a whole new branch of firebending arts, a precision art she now unconsciously performed that focused flames to such a high extent they turned blue.

And for what? Her pride? Definitely! Recognition? Of course! A chance to show off, to prove that she was undeniably the best of her generation? Her goal her life dream. But all of that, all of that she would put aside just for a chance, a chance to gain her father's favor and time whenever she wanted because all these aspects of hers, all these traits, she had developed to be the perfect child to her father. The perfect weapon for his use.

Her sadism, her cruelty a farce. Her narcissism and overconfidence, a defense mechanism. Her ability to push aside her empathy, to not pity traitors or fools, all a tool to serve her father more efficiently.

Did she truly believe in her right to rule? No. But because her father said she was his chosen, she had believed. The fire lord was right because he was father and because he had believed her ability to rule to be true it was so.

Than he betrayed her.

" _Azula you have failed me. Why did you even request to see me?" His frown covered the visible parts of his face, shadowed by the dimming outside light._

' _Father! I tried I really did if not for that meddling water-bender.' She tried to say. She was out of breath struggling, unable to breath, she had followed his orders to the letter and tried to execute but messed up at the last step and he was blaming her for her first and last moment of incompetence._

" _The perfect fire-bender I raised, raised with resources from all over fire country lost to an outcast with limited diminishing resources and one teacher in the form of an old fool." She saw him turn away, his back facing her, as if to turn away from his greatest failure, his greatest embarrassment to denounce her even after her steadfast loyalty, though he employed inefficient fools like admiral Zhao._

' _FATHER I TRIED!' She tried to say but the words were caught in her throat and her body constricted by full body binds to prevent her from moving a muscle._

" _Obviously you are not the chosen than, if you lost to that fool. Get out of my sight, you are a disgrace. I have no use of you."_

 _He fully turned and all that faced her was his back broad, tall as though he had committed no fault._

' _FATHER NO!' A last effort to try to gain his attention to see if he would try to change his mind on his betrayal._

" _Your useless leave."_

"Ahhhhhhhh" Azula hears the sound finally leave her throat, her agony streaming out in one long stream as the specter of her father hovers over her. Always reminding her of her first and last mistake in service to him.

"She's hyperventilating hold her down remember lord Zuko wants her unhurt!" The guard is uncaring, fire-benders were like so. They deferred to the fire lords judgments and respected every victor of any Agni Kai. For they were most spiritual after the air-benders and believed the winner was always right, as long as he won his way to the throne.

"Yes sir!" She felt rough hands grab her forcibly dragging her back to reality. Yes, here she was guarded by a full platoon of royal fire-bending masters. She could break free and leave anytime her level of skill and precise analysis told her so despite her severe handicap. But, she had lost all will to continue, lost her unfaltering ungiving drive as a result of a lack of purpose. Death now would be a mercy, a compassion, for the shell of the girl once known as princess Azula, the confident narcissistic tyrant, an insecure little girl that only wanted to be loved.

'Zuko... brother... my precious Zuzu... if after all I have done, after all my past transgressions you still hold any compassion for me... do not leave me in this sorry state... let me die.' She prayed, prayed for salvation, because at least in death this agony could end.

Prayed for death because her death would at least give her purpose again, even if it was only to unite the nation for him or as a martyr for her people. (which would never happen, for no one would want to crown an unstable tyrant. That way lead to the ruin for any noble and divided without anyone as a figurehead, none would dare stand out)

She was a failure a complete and utter failure. A failure without the drive to live. She had tried to talk when in the presence of her father, a final request to Zuko before he sentenced her, but had been unable to. Than she was sentenced. A lifetime in a mental hospital to try to recover her sanity.

But what was there to recover. What was there to build back on a foundation that relied only on one rock that had denounced her. Like, a house directly above the epicenter of a fissure. There was no place to rebuild what was not there. No way to form blocks to save her when she didn't want to be saved.

She had bled, (pushing her body far past its limits to meet his expectations) she had slaved, (putting in hours and hours of deep meditation and training just to increase her already advanced skills by an iota of a fraction), she had sacrificed (her time, her body, her luxuries, her friendships, her family, her everything) for him just to be rebuked. She had built her everything to his wishes for him, and she had turned up wanting.

Looking past her guards, past the caravan containing her immobile form, past the camp into the night sky, she sees a single falling star streaking across the sky and the girl watches it impassively.

'If you wish upon a star your dreams come true! Zuko would you like to make one?'

'Sure! I WANT TO BE THE FIRE LORD!'

'Haha silly boy you're the heir you will be fire lord eventually.'

The two doted on one another and nuzzled together in the cold night ignoring the shadowed form of the girl behind just watching, watching and wanting to be a part but never truly invited. Like a third wheel stepping in to a dating couple. She had scoffed than after seeing the scene, denouncing Zuko as an insecure buffoon only to be sent back to her room by Ursa. Sent back to cry herself to sleep at night just for wanting the same praise.

The girl had never been a believer in these things. A shooting star granting wishes? Preposterous! Not only was there never any spirits in existence which could grant such a thing but it just was not logically possible.

But maybe, maybe there was some stock in this. Zuko did become fire lord after all. So, so...

'If this is true, if this wish making star is truly true. Please, I beg of you, give me someone who will never betray me. Whom I can give all my heart to, whom I can trust to accept me for whoever I am, regardless of whatever I've done. Whom will love me for me, and... and... even if he or she cannot do all those... at least give me someone who will never abandon me, who will never leave me alone again.' Because at her core, the girl had never really grew up and only wanted someone to love her and never leave her.

"Wait... GUARDS RUN IT'S A METEORITE FALLING OVER US! SQUAD SCATTER!" Her eyes were closed but still she picked up the sound of the guard captain heard the sound of boots clamoring in all directions except South east. Heard the sound of crackling. Of fire.

Instincts saved Azula as she escaped from her restraints with a quick application of flexibility, to take cover behind the caravan.

Than the world exploded into light.

She turned her head back towards the caravan, which had been obliterated. Even when she wished to die, she would not be able to kill herself like this. Not with how well-trained a weapon her body had become. Her golden eyes scanned the field, more out of instinct than a willingness to act. It travelled over the curved in terrain only to land on a head of yellow hair flicking past the lingering black fires. She nearly had a breakdown then and there. Maneuvering over the flames, without bending, she moved closer to observe his form.

"Ah... ah..." she was gasping, she was unpresentable, she was imperfect. And he, he had sun kissed golden hair and brown tanned skin. He had a stump for a right arm and three whisker marks across his face. He wore a destroyed mesh tunic which was completely ripped all the way up his right shoulder and orange pants which were ripped just below the knee. His body was filled with bruises and he was bloodied all over in the middle of the crater. (Perfect in every single way her dream, her wish come to fruition.)

But he was perfect, because he came from her wish. Because he had turned up just as she lost her purpose. Because he was the one who would never leave her who would be her light, her sun, her purpose. For the first time in her life Azula was grateful she listened to Ursa's advice.

It took all of point two seconds for Azula to process this and move over to his battered form. She glanced up looking into his eyes. She felt lost yet found. They contained pain. Unimaginable pain. She could feel it. Yet, yet they shined so bright in the setting sun(full of hope for the future) the cerulean blue making her shiver. Than they disappeared transforming into white as he feel into unconsciousness. Behind her shout's of surprise started as the guards tried to navigate through the black flames back to her caravan. She moved on instinct grabbing his body and running into the woods, the flames sensing her intent parted for her while obstructing the fire-benders. She took care to not leave any obvious tracks and escaped into the forest. These were fire-benders not trackers. They did not matter. They could never track her down in time. Her status as a prisoner did not matter. Her savior would never find out. Nothing mattered as much as his survival all that she cared about now, was to get him away, all actions that she took from now on would be taken to optimize his survival.

Because he was her new rock. The last and final stone that would try to balance the instabilities of her unstable psyche.

Because if he were to leave her, if he were to be one more on the list of already long betrayals...

She really would die.

And she would bring him with her so it would be like he never left.

* * *

"What the she's dead?!" His scarred face twisted at the unthinkable.

"Yes your majesty. Either that or she escaped. It is unlikely though her temporary prison was completely destroyed..." Zuko's frown deepened a giant black fire ball what were the chances.

"For what it's worth you have my condolences." The messenger was the stoic captain of the guard force, his face neutral to not convey any emotion. Zuko contemplated if they had helped Azula escape before deciding they probably had not. After all no one he knew of was able to summon a burning fire ball from the sky instead of themselves. Chi was an internal energy, brought out of the body to manipulate ones immediate surroundings and not from afar. Azula's death occurred in the middle of a forest, far from any mountain, from any place high enough to fire a fireball of that size onto her caravan. Moreover there had never been any sign of anyone being able to use black fire(which was unbendable and still burning). Azula's blue was the strongest known in fire-bending history

"Leave... I need some time to think..." his face twisted. Even if she was psychotic she was still his sister. She could probably be reformed too, because she had been the product of father's dreams and now that he had denounced her she could try to be her own person.

"Yes sire!" The man bowed before turning and moving out.

"... unbelievable is it not Mai... Azula seemed so invincible." Even he believed that. In his opinion, she had wanted just one more person in that final fight. She had not given her all and it was obvious. She had either been shaken by her friend's betrayal and was shaken herself or had wanted just one more person in her corner. He would not question her indecision. After all it had benefitted him, but he felt bad for her nonetheless. She was obviously the best of the generation.

"Yet you managed to defeat her dear... I have mixed feelings though... Azula was a dear friend even if she did imprison me it is just..." Mai trailed off than her voice ending in a question more than statement. As though she needed his prompting to continue her point.

"Yes?" She nodded her head resolving herself.

"She would not have been taken out so easily... she has either accepted her death or found peace. She would not die any other way" she was too skilled too efficient too analytical too machine to be taken out like this. It went unsaid but both knew.

"Than let us hope it is the later." He saw Mai nodding. It helped to resolve his decision. Helped him to come to peace with what had occurred.

* * *

"Naruto..." A black haired boy in a grey over shirt, his left sleeve ripped to shreds. His left hand was blasted off. Almost like a symmetrical mirror to the blonde one on his left lying beside him.

"Hahahaha... I told you we would win, Sasuke." The blonde boy smiled through his battered form, his bleeding stump, his dying body.

The war had gone differently than what either had expected. It went completely pear-shaped the moment black Zetsu betrayed Madara and forced him to summon its amother, the rabbit goddess herself, Kaguya Otsutsuki herself. The goddess while inexperienced and unskilled, unlike Madara, was still a goddess comparing the sheer amount of power she contained in comparison to Madara was like comparing a lake to an ocean. The sheer power she possessed, despite her lack of proficiency in using it far eclipsed all of Madara's skill and strategy through sheer strength and speed.

She crossed borders at light-speed killing thousands in the nanoseconds. Her immunity to all forms of ninjutsu, except senjutsu, the natural energy from the world, and the rinnegan's abilities along with her sheer speed prevented shinobi from retaliating. Her abilities the all killing ash bone and yomotsu hirasaka allowed her to take down even the elite before they noticed. Even Naruto and Sasuke with their abilities to keep up were helpless to stop her from continuing her massacre. They were just too random going from earth to water country to kill one person in each before moving to fire to kill another, all on a whim. They had tried to chase after her after she disappeared to take her down only to leave the allied shinobi forces unguarded and vulnerable. Her twentieth target had been Kiba. The dog boy had not even had the time to blink before breaking into dust. The thirty asecond Kakashi, who had been trying to kamui his comrades to a pocket dimension and thus seen as a threat. He was quickly disposed of. Sakura was the thirty third killed while trying to heal Kakashi. Shino, Hinata, Lee, TenTen, Ino, Sai, Shikamaru, Choji, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Tsunade, all the kages eradicated in seconds. Hinata had been the last one to go. Able to tell Naruto she loved him before she left the mortal plane.

Than Kaguya was before them having destroyed the rest of the elemental nations, leaving none alive. Neither he nor Sasuke could have done anything to stop her she was too unpredictable, having no plan other than the annihilation of all thinks which contained chakra, and the willingness to avoid them to ensure it happened. Trying to protect a castle against an enemy who could teleport in was impossible and they had failed.

So they were the last. The last of a class, a village, the last of their generation, their kind, the shinobi, the last of their era. Than Kaguya turned towards them. The last two of their kind, the final line against her even though they had already lost what they wanted to protect.

The battle had been quick and decisive, every move teared up the landscape, destroying their already tattered continent. It had started off nothing like the usual battles of shinobi, a contrast to the kunai in the dark, the short slice into the soft of neck to end the target. The target dying before he notices anything wrong or retaliating and leaving the attacker dead before he attacked.

No. This battle tore up the already fragile landscape. A battle of pure power and explosions, which only ended after the bijuu all decided to power two jutsus with their life-force two ultimate moves, clashing against each other with kaguya in the middle. The move only pulled off due to her inexperience.

" _Sasuke... let's end it... even if we die..." Naruto's face twisted._

" _Hn" Sasuke's body twisted as it disappeared under a teleportation._

" _I tire of destroying your useless comrades for the last time I shall tell you to leave. Leave and witness the futility of your actions against a goddess and I shall let you experience one more day in this wasteland before I end you." Kaguya sneered down at him. Naruto ignored her charging his final attack. She continued floating above head arrogant and unheeding of his charging form._

" _SAGE MODE: RASENSHURIKEN" a rasenshuriken emboldened by what was left of nature fueled by the rest of kurama's chakra. He launched his body upwards towards her stationary body in hopes to land this final attack._

" _PEST WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH" both hands were extended out to counter the move to try to tank the power. The moment she moved Naruto smirked._

" _Now Sasuke!" Storm clouds had started the gather above, a lone warrior stood, a partial susanoo formed around his body his left eye using Izanagi to overwrite reality to gather all the lightning charges left in the elemental nations above him. The chakra required being drawn from the rest of the bijuu's remaining chakra._

" _Kirin!" The lightning dragon struck his outstretched hand empowering his already forming chidori. The black haired teen dived down towards the goddess's exposed back his left hand thrusting out. It struck true connecting._

" _Argh! Wait your turn!" Kaguya's third eye opened preparing a shinra tensei to push them away._

" _Amaterasu!" Only for it to be interrupted by a burst of black flames from the boys remaining rinnesharingan eye._

" _Sasuke end it!" He could feel it they were close!_

" _Bansho tensei." The jutsu pulled the destructive chakras together to where his hand was pierced, into Kaguya's stomach compressing the destructive energy into that single point in her body. The energies merged causing a small blackhole at that location causing their arms to get shredded to pieces. Sasuke bore it with stoicism while Naruto let out a large grin, all teeth, in triumph._

" _Arghhhhhhhhhhhhh" Kaguya's features twisted as she was obliterated by the force held together by the two most powerful attacks by the last two shinobi._

 _Thus they succeeded. Succeeded in killing the rabbit goddess. At the cost of their last allies, and their lives._

"Hahaha we won. We won Sasuke that goddess will never threaten anyone ever again." His huge grin still hadn't faded the feeling of triumph in his chest was exhilarating the only thing keeping away the crushing feeling of the death of his loved ones. "I always knew we would die side by side like this, even after you betrayed us... I willl always believe you will come back..." The sky cleared of thunder clouds showing the glistening stars in the sky. Through the speech Sasuke kept quiet the only sound passing being the rough rise and fall of each of their breaths. The last sign of life in this desolate world. "I guess we can die now than... join our friends in the pure lands, ya know?" The chuckle he released after was resigned but satisfied, resigned at the extinction of life on this planet and yet satisfied that more would not be affected. He had accepted this as his end and was satisfied.

"Hn... not yet dobe." It was than that Naruto realized as he tilted his head towards his best friend, his brother that the eternal mangekyo sharingan had changed in design and that he was staring straight at him. Looking into his eyes he felt more than saw the effects of kamui.

"Wait... no... Sasuke..." He could feel the pull now, greedier, stronger, hungrily sucking him in. Trying to remove him from this wasteland.

"Stop fighting me dobe. You're the last of us. Your stupid regeneration can probably help you heal from these injuries you will live I will not. We cannot survive in this wasteland with no resources you **will** die a slow death so let me do my last deed in peace." His struggles stopped as he watched blood drip from his friends sharingan eye it was rejecting him, not originally being a jutsu that he could use, the sharingan within spinning wildly.

All he could do was watch. Watch as his brother sacrificed himself for his continual survival. To send him away from this wasteland.

"Amaterasu: Flame wrapping fire" the preparation was complete as a small protective layer of black flames surrounded his body. He could feel the kamui taking hold as he stopped struggling, as the jutsu chose a random destination to fling him to.

"Listen dobe and listen well. I will say this once. Live a long life and I better not see you anytime soon." He felt the jerk smirk. That all knowing smirk he always pulled off in his youth to showcase his superiority. "We'll wait for you however long we need to wait so get a wife and lead a good life." The last sight he saw before he was transported was his best friends body both eyes listless. Blind. As he departed to the next dimension.

He felt the dimensions shift by a kaleidoscope of colors flashed by. Kamui used to transport past dimensions was very different from transportation into obito's world. He couldn't feel the vacuum pass by around him as he was transported into another world but he could see the susanoo constrict as it was pushed to its maximum to protect him in conjunction with the flames of amaterasu.

Than he landed in a blaze of fire, the amaterasu branching out into a circle around him. He glanced up feeling pain shoot through his nerves as his back made contact with the rough ground. He could feel himself slipping into unconsciousness. But he held. He would not die yet. He could not. He held on until he saw a pair of yellow golden eyes. They were empty, and reminded him of an old foe, an old friend.

'Haku...' than he watched them transform filling up with purpose, a single minded determination. He watched them fill with warmth and knew she wouldn't hurt him.

So he took a leap of faith. He could feel her warmth, a twisted blue flame yet he knew he would not be burnt. He felt the world dull around him. Felt the fall to unconsciousness. He embraced it. 'Keep us both safe and I'll fulfill one promise to you' the world faded to black. 'And i always keep my promises. Dattebayo.'

 _End of chapter 1_

 **An: yeah haha Sasuke used Izanagi again to change his sharingan from that form to Kakashi's one for a few seconds than died from chakra exhaustion. I think it's a creative way to get new mangekyo abilities. Also very sure I've never seen anyone write a Fanfiction with Danzo able to do this so I hope I'm the first.**

 **So yeah I took up writing as a hobby because I'm currently in camp and we are on time out. So I have all the time in the world to write instead of get distracted. I'll come back to this again eventually when I feel like it. Peace**

 **Edit: added breaks cause I'm on mobile and didn't know I couldn't use sgwiggly lines and a disclaimer**

 **edit2: removed a line thanks darkshadowraven for the idea :)**


	2. Chapter: Sasuke

**An: So I wanted to put this into last chapter but I really do not think I can pump in so much words per chapter expect each chapter to contain at most 3-4 k words this is just an interlude an add on that was already almost being done written haha**

 **So I didn't even know so many people searched by new I had just over 400 views for this story even though I didn't expect it to amount to anything :o**

 **To the guest that told me about than vs then, yeah I'm sorry if I got it wrong I use english very informally and tend to talk in a combination of three languages like I said my mastery of the language isn't very good. I'll try to prevent making the mistake again in future chapters though you can count on it. Starting to write was only because I wanted to get better at english in the first place :) to all the other ten with the supportive comments thank you! I decided to write this because I myself wanted to see this pairing too, even if it does not end up succedding.**

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

 _Flashback_

Chapter 1.5: Sasuke's interlude

"Sasuke... let's end it... even if we die." Naruto's face hardened concentrating, any more words said now would only distract him, none were needed between them anyway.

"Hn." 'Amenotojikara' he felt the air displace under him as teleported free falling above the goddess. 'Susanoo' ethereal wings formed beside him as he slowed to a stop above the gloating goddess. 'Izanagi' storm clouds gathered above through the application of the jutsu distorting the world so that it was contained into the small amount of space above her. Raising his hand he started the spark. 'Kirin' the lightning spark travelled upwards, collecting, condensing the natural lightning in the air and while he did so he watched. He watched the goddess taunt Naruto, watched as she insulted him, them for their efforts, she watched him charge finish his attack leaping up at her.

"SAGE MODE: RASENSHURIKEN" he saw Naruto's face tighthen, his forehead gritting together in concentration as he gathered his might, the power he possessed the main factor in their plan to end her, disintegrating his right hand cell by cell.

"PEST WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH." He saw Kaguya's face twist in fury, filling with rage at the sheer insolence of the pest that dared to challenge her mercy. Her hands extended outwards to try to deflect the attack for she could not absorb the natural chakra.

He saw Naruto's grin broaden as he gloated, knowing they had baited her into countering, had lured her into their trap. He himself could feel the seeds of triumph take place as their plans came to fruition. "Now Sasuke!" He took in a deep breath it was time. His left eye had turned white. A twisted parody. A reminder of his sacrifice. "Kirin!" The lightning dragon struck his outstretched hand empowering the already forming jutsu. 'Chidori!' He dived down towards the goddess folding his wings in for a free fall. The chidori condensing into a sparkling white. He watched the goddess face turn as though genuinely shocked he had chosen to stay before switching to fury. The jutsu struck connecting true.

"ARGH! Wait your turn!" Kaguya's third eye opened showing her sharingan rinnegan hybrid preparing to shinra tensei them away. He tensed already preparing for the move. He felt the chakra pulse the pain burning into his eyeballs, but he was already used to it.

"Amaterasu!" Interrupting her channel.

"Sasuke end it!" He prepared the jutsu. The final part in their combo move. Their last move together.

"Bansho tensei" he watched the destructive chakra come together twisting, mixing and gifting compressing in a space all to small closing together into an area it could not escape. Shredding their cells molecule by molecule all the way up to their elbows. He bore it with stoicism while he saw Naruto grin all teeth revealing in his triumph at their guaranteed victory even at this sacrifice.

The death of the rabbit goddess at the cost of themselves.

The forces dissipated, leaving them defenseless as they fell towards the ground landing in a loud thump battering their already injured bodies. He saw Naruto turn over to lie on his back, an action he copied as they lied down under the setting sun.

He saw Naruto's mouth move but he didn't pay attention. Preferring to contemplate silently to himself. About the Uchiha.

Uchiha's have always seen the world in detail. Born with the intrinsic ability of perfect vision and enhanced memories, all in preparation for the stress of the sharingan even if they never awaken it. They harbored great hatred because they never forget. Thus they never forgive. Thus the Uchiha's treasured their eyesight their superiority. Their pride. It is a life goal shared by all who call themselves uchiha to die with both eyes open, sharingan blazing as they cut down their enemies, as though to tell everyone even though death shall reap me, we will watch the world forever, through our eyes. It was why during the clan war days any clan which had managed to steal a sharingan was obliterated totally, by the full might of the clan, as one of the strongest clans they usually went unopposed and caused many clans to die out. After the village was formed this custom was one of the reasons why the Uchiha did not feel that the position of an internal police force was too bad even if their pride would not let them admit it.

It is why the mangekyo is taboo no Uchiha would be willing to lose their sight even at the promise of enhanced power.

So the ultimate sacrifice, an Uchiha can make is the willing loss of all their eyesight, their birthright.

The ultimate sacrifice, for a choice. A choice between two ultimate moves. Two ultimate moves that would allow an Uchiha to bend reality to accomplish anything they wanted through these two methods in seconds more powerful than any ability the rinnegan could use to accomplish by itself. Izanami and Izanagi.

Izanami, which traps the target in an infinite loop, using the targets chakra to fuel itself. The creation of an inner world that could only be exited through certain methods within the targets body. Used as a method to retrain, to torture, to change minds. It was used to sway the weaker minded to the users side essentially a brain washing in their own favor without the target even noticing.

Izanagi, the ability to control reality itself, to twist it to the user's wishes, as long as they had enough chakra to sustain it( which was not that hard it barely used any), as long as their eyesight was still there( it lasted as long as one had the will to fight through the horrible **pain** that lasted with trying to keep it. Nature would fight back, would try to stop any one person from possessing this much power at any single point)

Both abilities were powerful beyond imagination. Both abilities would render an Uchiha blind. Both abilities were the ultimate sacrifice an Uchiha could make in order to achieve their goal.

Izanami would have probably been able to trap Kaguya, but Sasuke was unlike his brother and did not believe in this method. Did not believe that leaving an enemy alive, that leaving an enemy trapped was viable. No. Kabuto was only left alive because Itachi did not want Sasuke to kill him than. There was no one stopping him here. Kaguya would die.

So Izanagi it was. The pain was unbearable seething but any falter in this step would cause Kaguya to win and Sasuke would not allow it.

His pride would not allow it. Should the Uchiha die she would die with it. As the indirect prosecutor. And now he had achieved it. It brought a satisfied sigh into his body, even if he had already lost half his sight to blindness.

To be fair, in his opinion, Izanami required the user to be a narrow minded fool. Single-minded and uncompromising only desiring their perfect outcome and striving for it and only it. It was like an upgraded version of the dobe's 'talk no jutsu'. Which was why if he had the sharingan he would be the perfect Izanami user... if he ever used it. He did not believe Naruto had it in him to to potentially trap someone for an eternity.

Izanagi on the other hand needed one to be creative. Users willing to bend plot and scheme around their goals until they were basically met.

It was why Sasuke believed he was a better Izanagi user. As long as Itachi was dead or even just crippled he did not care what method he took many scenarios and multiple scenes had passed through his head. His ability to plan to create to form plans before they were slated to come allowed him to use Izanagi well.

The dobe, Naruto... his brother, he looks bad right now, worse than how he has ever seen him before. The dobe's saying words instead of trying to conserve energy... how predictable sadly, but Sasuke can't hear him. The blood loss made hearing difficult and sounds were already fading away as his ears clogged up. looking at him with his one remaining eye. He takes in the surroundings around him and notices a wasteland. Devoid of all life of all resources to give life. He makes his choice.

'Izanagi' the sharingan eye in his right socket distorted changing into another design a familiar design the design of obito's sharingan and access to the ability born from never wanting to be hurt again. Of the abilities to move to different worlds to escape the pain of this one.

"I guess we can die now than... join our friends in the pure lands, ya know?" He hadn't been able to hear the words but lip reading was still a skill. The chuckle he released after was resigned but satisfied, resigned at the extinction of their world. It would have been a good sound to die to. But no Uchiha Sasuke was a cursed existence and was not able to even get that. The dobe would live. In this world or the next.

Even if it cost him his life.

"Hn... not yet dobe." He saw the idiots head turn over saw his cerulean blue eyes widen. Widen in surprise, in terror as he realized just what was going on.

"Wait... no... Sasuke..." didn't he know this was hard enough. He didn't want him to struggle against him. It took more chakra than what he already had taxing his already drained reserves... It made it harder for this already bittersweet parting.

"Stop fighting me dobe. You're the last of us. Your stupid regeneration can probably help you heal from these injuries you will live I will not. We cannot survive in this wasteland with no resources you **will** die a slow death so let me do my last deed in peace." The dobe stopped finally relaxing. Good. Sasuke was never really any good with words, and was never really able to convey his intentions well. The pain brought about by Izanagi itself was overwhelming he could feel the calmness of darkness welcoming him into its folds and yet he fought against it. Fought against it just to increase the idiots odds of survival.

"Amaterasu: Flame wrapping fire." He felt himself mutter sending the jutsu through his originals eyes to finish the preparation of a protective layer of black flames surrounding the dobes body. He could feel the kamui taking hold as the dobe stopped. In his mind he chose a random direction and threw flinging him through the kaleidoscope.

"Listen dobe and listen well. I will say this once. Live a long life and I better not see you anytime soon." He felt the skin around his lips curve up a reminiscent of lost times. Blood leaked from his overstrained eyes as he looked away to prevent the dobe from seeing. He could feel the darkness come in, as he lost his sight for good. As he failed to complete the rite of passage for an Uchiha into death. "We'll wait for you however long we need to wait so get a wife and lead a good life." He didn't even know if the dobe had managed to get the full message. He himself already losing two of his five senses. Being both deaf and blind. He just hoped the dobe got the message.

And so he lay dying spending his last moments in an insecure bubble unable to see or hear and throat too dry to talk. Thus, he turned inwards and contemplated.

'I'm sorry for being selfish dobe for making you carry this burden by yourself. The burden of a new life.' He took a deep breath probably one of his last. 'I'm done for... Don't worry about me and keep looking forward. Take care of yourself dobe. I love you, Naruto... brother.'

And so the avenger exhaled and his chest stilled as he lay motionless. The last sign of life, dying in the desolate wasteland

 **An: yeah ok the reason why this is more descriptive is because even though Naruto is a strong shinobi i believe Sasuke to be more observant 1. Cause he has more hex and hex eye and 2. Cause his not as impulsive. (3. Cause i had more time XD) and so ends the last character in the naruto world. Sasuke Uchiha dies with no regrets as he manages to save the life of his not brother, brother.**

 **Once again reviews are life :) and I'm working on chapter 2 It'll come out soon thanks for supporting me!**

 **Edit: added a few words, changed a few words made the story less cringy.**


	3. Chapter 2

**An: I honestly feel I could improve on this chapter help me out? You can PM/review me ideas and I'll try to consider it. Honestly I started writing this because I wanted an AzulaXNaruto fanfiction and I've only seen like one?**

 **Also Azula and the cast is older by lets say two years? That would make her sixteen here and Zuko eighteen.**

Azula's feet were aching, her heart, pounding, she hadn't slept in five days, eating and drinking just enough to keep going, consuming nutrients to keep going through boiled soup, by purifying the water with fire bending, gathering edible herbs and mushrooms from her knowledge, information she painfully studied running along the river, towards the central islands, away from the capital.

She kneeled by the river, her face, as seen through the reflection, was a mess. Bloodshot eyes, red covering most of the sclera, hair out of place and frazzled, she was heaving and exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her, She only hoped they had managed to get enough away from the capital.

She had considered running back. Going back to Zuko and begging for mercy, manipulating his compassion to aid her savior.

But She couldn't. She wouldn't be able to control the outcome if she went back. Wouldn't be able to secure her place next to him if she went back. He would be saved, but there would be too many factors that prevented her from returning to his side.

Five days ago, when he was bleeding out, when his life had literally hung in the balance Azula had resigned herself to running back to the capital. Then, she had noticed him healing, slowly but surely in front of her she had turned away from the capital then.

As one who prides herself on control She will never willingly take a route which will not allow her access to her goal. She knows she is being selfish. With one action, she could heal him for sure, she could save him guaranteed. He would live to see another day.

But... but... the sacrifice was too steep. A catch twenty two situation. She believes that she cannot heal without him, yet if she goes back, she cannot be with him until she heals. Zuko's choice to confine her into a mental institution to heal never struck so much.

So Azula decided to take the risk. Believing that feeding him with the different food of the forest and treating him with different herbs would help him heal sufficiently, without needing to risk going to prison.

And it had! His bruises had faded leaving behind tanned skin. His skin had cleared up properly showing the three whisker marked thin lines across his chest, and the numerous scars all over his body. The most prominent a fist sized scar just above his heart, hitting the spot just right to not leave any fatal injuries. A warrior, a fighter, a survivor.

But even though he is nearly fully recovered (sans the arm even she doesn't think they can do anything about that) he isn't waking up. He isn't waking up, and they are both too far away from any form of civilization to receive any help.

Her own body, curse her weakness, was already starting to give up on her. Staying up for long nights and greatly exerting her body, all while carrying a heavy weight had taken its toll.

Azula's body leaned forward face burying into the dirt, though her mind yelled at her to get up to keep moving, every action was like fighting against a current. She could not stop it could not stop her savior's body from slumping beside hers. She had tried her hardest with what she had. She had not managed to completely save him, but she had helped prevent any wild animals from hurting him while he recovered.

She would take solace in that sole fact. Despite her failure to complete her resolution. She had tried her hardest and would be at peace with it, even if she had not been able to enjoy the fruits of her labour. Tears started flowing down her cheeks. Yeah she was satisfied with this outcome. He would either die here with her, which would have invalidated her efforts, might even break her if she ever found out. (Even though a small traitorous part of her agreed with this course of action wanted this to happen they could learn about each other in the afterlife, maybe the spirit world? He could help save her there) or he would live, and she would have fulfilled her purpose, her last self-imposed assignment.

"Eh? What the? HEY! Are you alright? Wait a minute I'm coming over!" She heard the voice dimming in the background. The sound of hooves stomping against the ground growing heavier with each passing second.

Her eyes shot open going on alert. No. She couldn't be found now, not when she was so close. Not when her tribulation was nearly over.

"STAY BACK!" She tried to master her fire. The blazing inner flame that resided within each and every fire-bender. Tried to pull out her inner energy for one last desperate struggle if she had to. But fatigue combined with mental stress prevented even the embers from forming, resulting in a weak punch in the direction of the noise. She felt despair settle in the depths of her stomach. No, she had failed, she would be useless irrelevant. She drowned in her despair not even noticing the traveling merchant moving up to her.

"Hey are you okay... Oh my is that your husband! Hurry get on my horse we'll bring you to the nearest village!" She looked to his face, saw his expression of shock, surprisingly not at who she was, no there was no recognition there at all, but at the state of the blonde haired man behind her.

She didn't believe him. For all she knew he could have been a bandit.

"How can I trust you would not betray us. That you would not turn on us the moment we follow you." She knew she was behaving unreasonable right now, but she would not, could not afford to take the risk right now. A single man finding the two of them, one unconscious the other on the verge of it, so far off the beaten path. No. This was too unlikely a scenario to be a coincidence.

"Hah! Fair enough I assume you were attacked by an encounter similar to this? It's uncommon in these parts, what with fire lord Ozai helping to quicken development and fill up employment. Bandits and thieves are hardly found around these parts." His smile widened twisting with mirth. It was a fair enough an assumption, let the man think what he will. She didn't even need to think of a proficient lie if he did the work for her.

"I was yes. So how can I assure you will not do the same. If your planning to rob us just kill us now." Her eyes narrowed at him, a distraction tactic. She always was a good liar. She would use this chance to buy some time. To try to gather more energy to kill him in the event he attacked. "Why are you even here any way we are far off-road from any of the secured paths." She was just lucky she knew of them due to it being one of her projects while under Ozai. To plan the perfect path between villages to allow easy transportation the reason she had knowledge of the safe trade routes.

"Well I originally came off-road cause old nelly here was thirsty and needed water I lived in a nearby village to here long time ago yes, although nowadays I usually spend most of my days traveling to and fro the other villages collecting rations for the war." He laughed a loud throaty thing. "Well I haven't been back in nearly seven moons! And each time I stayed was only for a few days!" He reached into the caravan pulled by the horse pulling out a map.

"Well the village is about here. Yup this village right here. We can take any path you want there if you want, just in case you think I would betray you." He threw out a wink one eye closing at her as though entering a secret pact. "I'm planning to return back anyway a few days detour won't make much of a difference. Trades still bountiful even though the wars over. You can rest in the caravan and even peak out the roads to check if we're going in that direction alright." He stretched out his hand, inciting her to do the same. She, already anticipating what he would say next.

"Mah names Cheng. Whats yours little lady, your husbands too?"

"I'm not inclined to share it right now, after what has happened."

"Oh ye. y'all just got attacked by bandits, wont want them to come attack you while your like that. No no no. Alright you can tell me when you've healed up in the village alright?" Completing her alibi without her even saying more than two sentences.

She wasn't sure if this man was painfully optimistic or she was completely out of touch with any sort of interaction with the lower class. Either way, this problem was unacceptable. Perfection could not afford it.

"Lets go with that."

"Haha, plausible deniability eh alright. Let's a go." He picked up her saviors body, slinging it over his shoulders (she felt dread take place her whole body chilling as the source of warmth near her was removed, a feeling like being submerged underwater, drowning her in its depths) and placed him in the back of the wagon(she relaxed he was fine he had not been attacked had not even been hurt through out the motion the man, Cheng, had truly been careful in his actions).

"Alright lass! Plotted your path yet? Get on and relay the information than let's go alright?" She nodded her head. He had acted blasphemously had removed her savior without permission ( not that anyone would ever get it) he would get his in time. Vengeance was best served cold. Best done when it was least expected. She would take this time to recover her energy and strike at night. Her face softened falling back into that fake smile she had used many times in the past.

"It's alright. I'll trust your judgment. Lead the way." She stumbled over climbing into the wagon, landing next to her saviors body. Battered but better than two days ago. She curled up into his body enjoying his warmth as it surrounded her.

It made her feel trusted, it made her feel safe. Even if it may not have been so.

And so Azula fell asleep, fell asleep to the shaking of the carriage. The most common form of transportation she had ever written, the sturdy transport meant for function and not luxury unlike her others. She fell asleep, her body pressed into her saviors.

It was the best sleep in her life.

* * *

Azula wakes up abnormally. Or to be more specific, she struggles to wake up. She wakes up on the floor of a wagon, the sound of hooves quiet and crickets chirping outside. The merchant, Dong had made camp for the night. She had slept for many hours since he had found her around noon?

Usually, she was used to her eyes snapping awake, waking up with crystal clear clarity, with a plan and objective in mind, with a destination, or a problem which had tormented her night before, forcing her to sleep the minimum amount before waking up with direction with and objective to complete.

She was so used to clarity the moment she awoke that this new experience was new. This pleasant fog was foreign and worse was that she struggled to fight against it, her body refusing to fully wake even though she willed it to.

She fought against it, finally fully waking, into the bare breast of her saviors, his body slumped over hers. Azula enjoyed this warmth, enjoyed just basking in it, just lying there.

But she had a job, an objective to complete. She would not be lulled into a sense of complacency.

Azula snuck out the wagon, quiet, like a predator stalking its prey. Like a tiger ready to pounce on her target. She snuck up behind Dong, who was sitting by the fire, blissfully unaware, humming a merry tune to himself while frying some of his rations for his journey. She readied her strike, orange flames forming soundlessly beneath her fingertips, ready to explode his death would be swift, merciful for not betraying her trust.

Than she stopped, stopped because her over analytical nature had drawn attention to metal (A weapon a small part of her hissed, a betrayer kill him before he does you in). Closer inspection revealed it to be a golden locket in his left hand, playing with the strings, staring lovingly at the picture within, of the picture of him and another, a woman, holding each other lovingly.

"Lovely isn't she princess, my wife, the love of my life."

"Yes she is." She understood the man, the devotion he held towards the woman, it was similar to the one she had for her savior after all.

It takes Azula awhile before she realizes what he addressed her as. She jumps backwards, moving away from the merchant, producing blue flames and held them out threateningly.

"How do you know who I am! Answer me!"

The merchant chuckles, as though enjoying a joke only he understood.

"You created the roads right? Any merchant worth his salt would recognize you." A stab of uncertainty fills through her, her work was done only because Ozai chose to implement it after all, and she had hardly even been credited, even if she came up with the plans. She had thought she would have been unrecognized, now she would have to watch out for every merchant along the road. She was just lucky this one hadn't backstabbed her yet.

"Well luckily for you merchants don't even know what ya look like. Most barely even know you made the plans for the supply roads at all."

"Than why do you know." Azula needed to know this, needed to know why she was so unlucky to meet one who knew.

"You helped me meet my wife. She lives in the capital, works as a metalworker, we lead radically different lives, I was gonna be a farmer and she would have been married off. Trade allowed us to meet. I would have never found her if not for ya help. So I found out who made the roads and their faces." His face turned serious, as he looked at Azula. "Information about you isn't hidden princess. It's just not openly talked about, like an open secret. I can see you're trying to get away now, to escape. So, I'll help you princess to leave." She kept quiet watching him go on, letting him have his final words as she made her decision.

"We'll make a slight detour to my old hometown, largely untouched by the war. No one there will recognize you as long as you keep a low profile. They wont question me if I brought you in too, cause I'm trusted there." He smiled, that same smile when he had first lied to Azula to get her to follow him.

'With the devotion his wife has for her, she'll start an investigation to find out where he went.' She glanced back at the locket, to the picture of his wife staring back at him, eyes crinkling all smiles. 'We'll be found, suspicious for appearing out of nowhere with his wagon just as he disappeared.' It made sense, to leave him be. About just as much as it was to kill him. Azula decided to take a leap of faith.

"I'll just be taking the kebab and some water."

"Just that, nothing else?"

"Nothing else."

"Alright lass enjoy your dinner!" Cheng turned back to the fire, pausing for a second to ask one final question.

"Has the boy been unconscious for a long time?" Azula struggled to answer, on one hand the information was inconsequential on the other, information was information. Finally she made her decision.

"Yes." Five days was too long in her opinion and so she would pretend it was so.

"Oh okay. Good night princess." Than Cheng was back to humming his merry tune, and Azula, Azula moved back towards the wagon.

She was too tired to deal with this right now. She just wanted to go back, go back and sleep.

* * *

Azula felt herself being jerked awake, her first instinctive response was to respond with fire and fury.

Only to remember her hands were placed within her saviors, where she would burn him were she to lash out.

"Princess, we've arrived." The sun was already high in the sky, an indication of how long fatigue had forced her body to rest. "I've taken the liberty to push forward an alibi for you while you were recovering." Cheng took a deep breath.

"You and your husband are survivors from guo jing village, your husband was conscripted and lost an arm and has been unconscious for a long time. You guys have just travelled back to the mainland and you want a quiet village to raise him back to health." His face turned solemn you're gonna have to have a talk to the people of the town yourself, assure them about your intentions in the village. You know community stuff. It's harder to lay low if you don't. I've arranged housing for you, to make it easier for your stay in the future, we can head over there later." He was grinning again, all smiles. "This village should be safe enough for you to stay in for the rest of your lifetime or if you ever decide to you know, make a reappearance. It's your choice really."

"Alright." She had a plan, a course of action, she would be able to do this easily enough, the alibi would be easily done too, guo jing had been an earth kingdom vessel state that was recently destroyed, on the day of the black sun. It would fit the description and time frame.

She tilted her head upwards, chin tilted high, defeated but not broken. Standing up, she slung the blonde haired teens arm around her shoulder, slowly limping towards Cheng "Thank you." She ignored his shocked face, moving forward brushing past him at the small back door. She was welcomed into a bright meadow, filled with sunlight and warmth, was standing in open fields, She tilted her head back, "Are you still standing there I need you to lead the way." She continued her march, ignoring his laughter.

* * *

 **An: I'm not sure if I'm really happy with this chapter nothing much really happens. But it is kind of needed to do a transition period between chapters, to show how and why she doesn't die in the wild, I'm not planning to write a big adventure fic after all, but plans change so we'll see what happens.**

 **And now for a little something extra.**

Omake: Cheng

'Aye, I recognize that look anywhere.' Cheng stares back into the fire, so similar, so close to his impending doom.

'I lived not cause the princess was merciful...' he tilted his head back, 'I lived cause the princess didn't want to kill me cause of mah wife.'

'I wonder what she saw in her?' He contemplated while frying a kebab stick. 'Welp no point caring! I'll have to 'forget' I even met her soon enough.' And so Cheng went back to eating his kebab and sitting around the fire to keep the cold out, all the while staring at the locket in his hand.


	4. Chapter 3

**An:**

 **here's chapter 3, I guess I'm the type of the person that just posts a chapter the moment that it's done. However it takes me like hours to even think and type out a single chapter so when camp gets busier next week chapters will probably slow a lot.**

 **But for now enjoy the double chapter.**

 **Luckily I don't think I have it in me to end on much of a cliff hanger.**

 **I would like to say thanks for all the support once again! I really was not expecting anything at the start, but somehow as a new author, I've been able to gather some.**

 **It also doesn't help that I type whatever I think so advice on how to control the story to make it better will be greatly appreciated. Thanks darkshadowraven!**

 **So this chapter will be mostly from Naruto's POV I think with a bit of Azula. It will be explained in the chapter if your interested, well if you even bother to read ANs :)**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing**

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

 _Flashbacks_

 **Bijuu and Spirits**

He was lying down on something soft, like lying on a bag of wool. Naruto opened his eyes, exposing them to gentle sunlight, he recognized where he was currently at.

His mind scape, his internal world.

No longer was it the sewer like construct as in his youth. The love that he had received helped immensely, penetrating through his defense, (represented by the metal walls that looked like sewage pipes) and allowing him to vent his pent up his sadness when he needed to (the water representing unshed tears).

They had freed him, freed him from his pain and allowed his mind scape to finally develop into what it was now, the land of golden clouds, (to be just as free) full of shining radiance, (his hope for the future) and gentle sunlight (his kindness but fierce determination). Nearly a replicas of his mothers, the same field where he had last met her.

" _Thank you for letting me be your mother, and for letting Minato be your father. Thank you for being our son. Thank you… Thank you!_ "

Thinking about her brought a pang of nostalgia, knocking the wind out of his sails and with this one thought, he slowly started thinking about the others. One after the other. First, Neji then Gai, Obito, the shinobi alliance all in one fell swoop than the bijuu as they gave up their chakra one by one. At the giant stone Kurama behind two long golden gates.

Stared at the remnants of one of his last few friends.

' _ **NARUTO!'**_

' _What is it Kurama I'm a bit busy you know!' He leaned back feeling the wind break in front of him, as Kaguya's bone drill zoomed past his face missing by a mere hair._

' _ **The bijuu are ready.'**_ _His body moved on auto-pilot dodging Kaguya's moves in rhythmic motions. She was unskilled and it was easy enough to dodge, easy enough to stall for time for a discussion on how to end this._

 _Even if she would always win in a battle of attrition._

' _Ready for?' He felt Kurama's trepidation, it was more telling than he was willing to admit._

' _ **Death.'**_ _That was impossible. The bijuu were immortal, unable to die as long as chakra in any form existed. Being able to reform from the ambient chakra in the air. Despite the wasteland the elemental region was devastated. Natural energy still saturated the air, enough to reform the bijuu many times over, even if it would never be replenished._

 _In essence bijuu chakra was filtered nature chakra, transferred to their host in contents that depended on how willing they were, the bijuu acting as the balancer._

 _Bijuu chakra would not turn the jinchurikki to stone because there was a medium to control its intake. But it could be used by the bijuu to influence their user to an extent._

 _Thats when he noticed the utter lack of energy in the surroundings the unnaturalness of the surroundings._

' _Kurama stop it you don't have to do this.'_

' _ **Haha! I already have. Use it or don't it's up to you. The results don't matter. Do with it as you will.'**_

' _Kurama? KURAMA!'_

 _The fox had gone silent after that not replying. His control of the tailed beast mode instantly putting him into tailed beast stage mode instead, without requiring him to control the natural energies himself._

 _Thats when he decided that enough was enough._

" _Sasuke... let's end this... even if we die."_

He fell to his knees, grief overwhelming him. During the war, he had not been able to contemplate their sacrifice, everyone's sacrifice, for their victory. The dam broke, as Naruto cried and grieved for the death of his closest friends, his family. Grieved for the senseless death of the old, the young, the innocent, the guilty. Rain fell around him as he knelt in front of one of his closest friends, now a statue. He let the grief overwhelm him, surrounded himself in it.

But he would not let it control him, would not let any mistake, any freak accident change him.

He was Naruto Uzumaki. Son of Konoha's yellow flash and the red hot-blooded habenero. The unpredictable knuckle-headed shinobi. Second generation toad sage. He had been orphaned once and now yet again.

But he would never give up, would never surrender, even in the face of certain defeat. It was his nindo, his promise to himself. To never give up despite the odds.

He sat down cross legged, while turmoil swirled within him, and blended with nature.

He let it flow through him while releasing some of what was within him, a form of exchanging information with the whole that was mother nature, a mode of communication that transcended words, that went past memories. Exposing both himself to nature totally as well as exposing nature to himself.

To become a part of this world that he was now a part of. To witness glimpses in its history, its way of life.

To try to see if an alien like him would be able to fit into this new ecosystem.

While simultaneously falling into deep meditation he experienced the world around him,learnt of its diversity, its animals and flora, many unseen in his old dimension.

Learnt its geography, island nations so spread out and full of sea, where boats and ships were plentiful to travel all over, when his had been mainly one continent and Kirigakure as a set of accompanying islands. Its lands full of mysterious wonders, mountains of fog of the highest peaks and lowest deeps.

Felt the energy around him, boundless, infinite in comparison to what there was back in his home.

And most surprisingly of all, the existence of a parallel world, running along side this one.

Then he was snapped out of his meditation by the feel of a paw upon his face. Startled, he opened his eyes and flailed his arms around him, landing on the ground. Only to be met by a peculiar sight.

In front of him was a brown fox, nothing special, that had ethereal blue eyes, they glowed in the moonlight, shining. The fox backed away, moving a reasonable distance away although not totally out of his reach. It couldn't form facial expressions but his empath abilities allowed him to detect its feelings of surprise, as though it had not expected him to move at all. It threw back one last wary look, before scampering off.

He glanced around his surroundings, he was in a field, nothing like the forest he had been in. No other intelligent creature except the fox any where nearby.

No flame which burned all that it touched, that felt cold yet warm.

"Welp no point staying here." He stood up pumping his hands in the air. "Lets follow that vixen ne?" He swiped his hand under his nose and continued onwards, following the emotions of surprise, and fear of the fox as it retreated.

He hoped he would have an answer at the end of the road.

* * *

It had been hours since he started running, the field he was at had at one point stopped and transitioned into a forest full of deep trees and life.

He might have lost sight of the fox in this jungle if not for his abilities, the small animal being easily lost in the deep forests.

As it is, he has been following from a distance, the fox now seeming content and slowly making its way to a location, he only hoped it was a village.

It was then he noticed, the giant structure looming in the distance, hanging upside down on the in the trees.

"What the what kinda architect built this piece of junk." He honestly wondered. It was strategically hard to defend and could collapse at any moment destroying the whole library should any of the tree vines snap.

He watched the fox enter, moving in through an entrance, into what he assumed was a mad mans palace.

"Welp lets live life a little. I just hope I can find someone I can talk to in there."

He tree jumped in, entering into the palace, towards where he felt the largest energy signature among all the small ones(similar to the fox) only to meet face to face a giant owl.

"What the what kind of freak experiment are you!"

" **Ni, xiao ren ni shi zen me lai dao zhe li de!"** The owl was screeching words, (at least he thinks they are words) he did not understand. And so Naruto did the what he understood best.

"Err hi I'm Naruto, Uzumaki Naruto what's your name?" He stuck out his fist hoping the owl would bump it. It would help him understand what exactly was going on. The chakra transfer would allow him to learn a bit more of the world around him.

The owl looked at him as though in shock, or was just appalled at his arrogance, its heckles raised up as though in contemplation. Eventually he saw the owl lean forward, it's feathered arm connecting with his.

He watched the owl's life, so similar to the old man sages, almost like a line for line repeat, as knowledge was given to human kind only for them to abuse it, like ninshu, for war.

In that instance he understood Wan Shi Tong, understood his bitterness towards the human race, through the many times he had been wronged, understood but did not believe in it.

He believed in humanity, believed that the majority would be able to understand, to live in peace with the spirits.

Coexistence would take much effort and would need someone to spearhead it, needed someone to act as a mediator to balance the scales, to convey messages from one side to another.

Only when both sides had good communication to foster true understanding could there be true peace.

And he would try to help the inhabitants of this world achieve it, for the future generations to come.

He was snapped out of his thoughts interrupted by words in his native language.

" **Come follow me Naruto, you will find we are similar you and I."** He stumbled startled by the sudden mastery of his native language. " **And I assure you I am no freak experiment we will discuss more in my study."** Naruto felt his body freeze mid-step as he stumbled over, realizing he had unknowingly insulted the owner of this place.

'Ah I'm going to be in so much trouble, ya know?'

* * *

 **An:**

 **Alright I can explain, Wan Shi Tong was able to immediately understand Naruto's language because his the spirit of knowledge. So in my mind he has some hex ability to retain and process information. Naruto on the other hand does not and will take awhile to learn the language**.

 **So yeah! Enjoy the story! Please leave a review to tell me how I'm doing I like to think I'm going down the right track but sometimes it feels like I'm messing up my stories abit :p**

 **It's also a bit shorter but it felt like a good place to end off.**

 **Now for a little something extra enjoy!**

Omake: Wan Shi Tong

"Anata wa don'na furīku jikkendesu ka!"

Wan Shi Tong hears these foreign words directed at him as he notices the human land in front of him, but that was impossible, because this was the spirit world, and humans were not supposed to be able to enter at will.

" **You, human how were you able to enter here!** " He watches the humans face twist in confusion, as though he could not understand his words.

That was another impossibility. He had taught only one language to the entire of humankind, the same language that was still being used everywhere till this day. How could this human not recognize the common tongue. Even if he had hid own made up language.

"Ē to, kon'nichiwa watashi wa Naruto-san, Uzumaki Naruto. Anatahadare?" He saw the boy raise up his right hand, a closed fist. He was astounded though, astounded either by the arrogance of this boy, or his ignorance.

However, curiosity killed the cat, or the owl, and he moved ahead connecting his closed wing to the boys closed fist. Recognizing it as an old earth kingdom ritual to declare the start of a battle.

He would honor this foolish child, would give him this respect at least, for daring to go against a spirit in mortal combat.

Especially one as powerful as he. However, he was surprised, startled by what happened next.

Memories of a life not his own past by, showing him the life of this young child, no, this young man. The man who was raised alone, yet loved everyone. Who was raised in a world full of war, yet only wanted lasting peace. A man who was willing to look past the humanoid shell and accept anyone for who they were inside. Human or bijuu, human or spirit.

Wan Shi Tong could understand that, once only wanting to spread his knowledge, only to bring about war. So similar to this, Naruto's forefathers. He had deemed humanity useless after the last one, a failure to try to help to try to understand them.

Naruto however had succeeded where they had both failed has brought him hope for humanity's future had united nine beasts of mass destruction and humanity through understanding. He had been able to unite a nation once, he might be able to do it again.

Might even succeed where the Avatar failed, might even be able to unite spirit and human for a peaceful future.

But this was all speculation. He would let Naruto convince him if it was true.

" **Come follow me Naruto, you will find we are similar you and I."** He turned over finding amusement in Naruto's stunned expression. " **And I assure you I am no freak experiment we will discuss more in my study."** He heard the boy stumble, as he shouted his disagreement in the background.

It was nice to be around someone new.


	5. Chapter 4

**An: yeah hi, I'm back! It's new years over here in my country so I've been busy visiting family. which kinda cuts into the time for writing this.**  
 **Also I actually want to cry because of this but because I'm typing on my phone I accidentally deleted the chapter and lost about 50% of it which is super depressing I only managed to salvage half of it because I had saved it before hand but the other half is just gone..**  
 **Moreover, while I have an idea for where I want this to go I have no idea how to put it into words, which is just sad, so the progress loss is actually just urgh. I had considered just posting the chapter as it was but I persevered staying up another four hours just to round it up.**  
 **And with that I finally managed to finish this one so yeah on to the chapter :')**  
 **Also (...) are like Naruto's or any character really subconscious thoughts. It's like when you see something and make a general observation but you won't outright say it or feel someway about it.**  
 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**  
'Thoughts'  
"Speaking"  
 _Flashbacks_  
 **Bijuu and Spirits**

* * *

Even after experiencing the owl's point of view, seeing how events had transpired to make him how he was, it was hard for Naruto to understand and accept it.

He knew that Wan Shi Tong had never truly forsaken the mortals, even when he had hidden his library. (Oh yes it was in a corner of the continent far from hidden eyes, and a whole lot of pain to travel to) Anyone could still technically visit, those with the endurance could still technically come and learn and share their knowledge forever preserving it in the library.

The trial was more to act as a deterrent, to prevent those who were more morally ambiguous from attempting to go out of their way for a chance of information. (Naruto believed it to be folly. The owl did not full understand the power of information on how it was so useful, how generals would slave and slaughter just to obtain any form of weakness.) After all, should one try to enter the library with foul intentions, they would never have been able to step foot, the desert swallowing them whole, the sand benders never even seeing the structure, even as that earth girl tried to hold it up.

Not even when that flame dude, (it was some guy called Zhao right? What kind of weird name was that) burned down a whole section of the library and triggered the owl's wrath, had the avian lashed out. No, he had stewed in his own silence, had held in his anger and firmly told him to leave, banning all fire users from perusing his library henceforth. It was because he knew of the enchantments, the hidden secrets set up by Wan Shi Tong himself to prevent malicious individuals from entering the library. The fire user had truly believed that he was defending his country, had truly believed that he was not engaging in violence but just a necessary amount of force to fight back for it.

And so the owl let him go.

But the enchantments held. And though many had tried to find his library (honestly from the outside it looked nothing like one why would it need to be fortified like that?) in the coming years, Wan Shi Tong had upgraded his defense, had made it so that even those that wanted to use his knowledge for the betterment of their country through whatever means were unable to locate it, whether by land or air. Had made it so that the only ones able to enter the library were so similar to him, in that they had to be seeking knowledge for knowledge's sake and no other.

So that if he was forced to leave he could take them with him.

But as the years passed and none arrived the owl had become cynical, had believed that the whole of humanity had forsaken peaceful ways. He had decided to believe that humanity was full of reckless fools, violent fools, power hungry, ruthless, manipulative.

And this Naruto feels was mostly driven by a sense of loneliness, but even so he doesn't understand how it could be twisted to such an extent. Wan Shi Tong knew of the war after all, even if he proclaimed not to care about it. Was it so hard to believe he had trapped himself in? Had boxed himself inside his tower and prevented others from entering in a time period where no one had the time and effort to try to arrive? Naruto understood how the owl could have arrived at this point, but believed it was a little self-absorbed of him to assume that all humans did not desire to learn or that all humans were violent.

And than one came, after many years of waiting. The Avatar and his little group of unique benders. (such control over the elements, they wielded it with such ease but their control made them resort to such inefficiency it was painful to watch, like Kaguya all over again to a smaller scale.)

And Naruto believes that Wan Shi Tong had felt hope, had felt joy that there was still hope for the humans, as the 'link' (and why was he so special to be one?) between both worlds had managed to arrive

He found out later that they had only made it because they were in the presence of professor Zei, who Naruto believed he treated as a real friend. (The professor received food and lodging after all and converses with Wan in that weird foreign language when they meet) a loophole in his defenses where a whole group can enter if one is able to see the library (which Naruto also could not believed he missed. If shinobi had this kind of ability, no spies would be able to enter their village paranoia goes a long way after all.)

But still despite all that Naruto was still understandably confused. Confused as to how Wan Shi Tong could have such a cynical point of view, to cower and loath all mortals just because one had made mistakes.

Just who is this avatar, how could one man's actions justify the spirit's judgement, all because he could use all elements? (It was like saying all Uchiha's were bad because one went crazy and decided to kill his clan, like how one man with a bloodline limit would condemn all the others with the same bloodline limit. Wan Shi Tong should know better than that as the spirit of knowledge.)

And so he set out to find out about this man, and just why he was so important, in one of the most subtle ways possible, with all the tact he had.

* * *

"So Wan! Who is this avatar?" Which amounted to about zero in both counts, thus failing within the first few minutes.

Don't get him wrong. Naruto is a master of stealth. Ask him to infiltrate the enemy line, no problem easily done. Outrun enemies superior to him, well running is all about technique you see.

Ask him to gather information? Well he would, by befriending the enemy and asking around for it.

Yeah, Naruto is good at keeping quiet when he has to be, but a master of tact and subtlety he is not.

 **"Do not call me that foolish boy my name is Wan Shi Tong, he who knows ten thousand things. I will not be compared to that absolute man child Wan."** The owl's tone conveyed his annoyance, even if his facial features remained passive.

 **"Calling me by such an informal title, most humans would not even dare."** The owl's feathers puffed up as he showed off his chest, a sign of aggression.

"Hey, I mean I let you call me Naruto don't ya find it to be annoying to get called that all the time, I mean imagine calling me Naruto Uzumaki all the time what a mouthful ya know?" A bit hypocritical cause his name was also three syllables but the name was foreign on his tongue and the less words he had to remember the better.

 **"Fine. Call me Shi Tong if you must, but I will not be compared to that buffoon."** He saw the owl relent, Naruto was just glad he had won the 'argument'.

"So who is this Wan, a past lover? That's so cute you even have matching names-"

 **"Silence!"** Wan Shi Tong actually looked murderous, as though the very notion was appalling. Naruto recoiled slightly, what kind of landmine did he step on this time.

The owl turned away as though to ignore the question, Naruto resigned himself to not getting an answer. But of course as the giver of knowledge Wan Shi Tong eventually replied.

 **"No. It relates back to your question you see, the avatar is not so much a person as much as a 'reincarnation', or in my opinion, a parasite."** The owl took a deep breath as though getting ready for a long speech.

 **"The light spirit Raava and the first impudent human to start this cycle,"** the owl's face twisted as though it physically hurt to say the name, **"Wan decided that he was the only one worthy enough to act as the balance between all of human and spirit kind. As though no one else was worthy enough to step up to the challenge. In the end even he succumbed to the flames of war. However, for some reason beyond me the spirit Raava chose to stay with him."**

 **And so begins the cycle, the avatars acting as a parasite, linking their past lives, imprinting them onto a new soul, a newly formed soul, just one more, in a long line of sacrifices, all for the chance, the honor of being able to bend all four elements."** The owl scoffed as though disgusted.

 **"What a fool truly, giving the mediator more firepower to wage war on the weak whilst he is the only channel able to reach us easily. Energy bending itself would have been enough. And so that is what the avatar is. A sacrifice, one with a job to complete that has not been done even after nearly ten thousand years. Nowadays, they do not even know what their job is they only use their power to wage war, the arrogant upstarts."**

Naruto blinked trying to sum up all he had heard in as little words as possible.

"So basically, the avatar is the gateway to your world, the world of spirits? And his job is ta keep the peace and maintain harmony between everything? But they've mostly failed and have never even been able to succeed much after the first."

 **"While I would not be so crass about it, yes, it is exactly so."** The owl paused before continuing, **"but enough of that, it is time for your lessons to continue. Now, translate what I've said. Wo shi ge wei da de jing shen. Ni shi ge wei bu zu dao de ren."**

"Urgh, do we really need to do this? You speak my language right?"

 **"Do you plan to stay here forever and discard your mortal shell?"**

"Fine, fine I'll translate it." 'Wo shi ge wei da de jing shen. Ni shi ge wei bu zu dao de ren... I am a great spirit, you are an insignificant human.' Naruto's eyes burst open in realization, watching the owl silently laugh as Wan Shi Tong realized he had received the insult.

"Bird-brained nerd!"

 **"Oh so we are doing this now you intellectually challenged?"**

"You hooter tooter!"

 **"Your empty headedness is shining through if you truly cannot come up with anything else."**

"Argh! I give up stuff it you oversized piece of meat!" That was when the avian could take it no longer, bending over halfway and starting to chuckle. A truly unique sight. Naruto could only stare impassively wondering what had caused him to degenerate to this state.  
So he asked, with all the skill of a freight train.

"Hey whats so funny!"

 **"Did you truly not notice the words you have been speaking in? Was the transformation into this new language so easy for you that you unconsciously applied it so? Just because the knowledge was directly implanted it does not mean it is easily accessed."**

That was when he noticed, he was not speaking his native tongue.

Oh.

"ARGH! Go suck it bird brain!" He left the study fuming, leaving behind the laughing avian now bent over on the floor behind him.

* * *

He did not know how long he had been in this realm. The days and nights just seemed to blend together, time consequently a non-factor. Unlike the other resident, Zei, he never got hungry, never needed to rest, to sleep and had early on noticed that he lacked the critical sensation to feel.

Huh it was kinda like being dead huh?

Wan Shi Tong had assured him that Naruto was not actually dead, merely in some sort of spiritual form which he could exit any time he wanted to back into his own body, the method of transport here being similar to the avatars. Kind of like returning to his physical body when leaving his mindscape.

He had considered leaving much earlier, but curse Kurama and his empath skills. They made leaving so much harder. He sensed within the owl, a familiar sensation. One he was too intimate with back in his childhood that he could not just dismiss.

Loneliness.

And so he stayed, stayed with the owl way longer, past what he had planned to. Stayed, confined himself to this tower, this place filled with books and a lack of excitement way past what he would have tolerated in the past.

Until one day, he could stand it no longer.

He walked solemnly towards Wan Shi Tong's study, only to see the owl sitting down already, expecting his arrival.

 **"I had been expecting this day to come sooner, even though I had hoped it would not come at all."** The owl looked melancholic, as though he had already predicted what was to come and had accepted it. **"I always knew you were a free spirit, too free and wild to be kept in here for all time. And yet, I had hoped. Had hoped that you would have stayed."**

 **"I know I have been stubborn and you have been staying back for me, but being... friends is all about give and take."** The owl spread out his wings, to puff them up before keeping them and turning around his back facing Naruto. **"I guess it is time to say goodbye. We will never see each other again Naruto. It is too rare for any human to enter the spirit realm."** he took a deep breath, as though accepting what was to come. **"Live a good life, Naruto."**

Naruto stood there in shock as though he could not believe what he had just heard, could not believe that the great owl was just admitting defeat.  
"Hey you're the great keeper of knowledge right? You should know what to do, what can go down can also go up after all." Naruto smirked all teeth, he saw Shi Tong turn around in surprise to his declaration, as though he did not understand. He would figure it out eventually.

"I'll see you in a few months Shi Tong. The bitterest goodbyes always yield the sweetest reunions." he turned around giving a one hand backwave to the owl, no longer even sure if he was paying attention.

"So I guess for now, it's Ja'ne. We'll see each other again, believe it." He walks forward, out of the room, out of the library, back into his own body.

* * *

He inhales consciously, the deep breath the first time he feels air enter his lungs in a long time. Next, he tries to open his eyes, but the light is blinding, disorientating him slightly. He glances upwards into his savior's eyes, taking in her appearance. She has black hair, streaked by grey, they were let down and frayed at the ends, showing either a lack of care about her own appearance, or a lack of time, possibly both. She was also dressed in sleep garments, which signified that she had been about to go to bed.

'She's got to be at least twenty five.'

He swallows, trying to wet his throat, tries to speak but no words come out. He sees her moving over, grabbing the glass of water and carefully placing it into his left hand.

'Woah, and now I feel like an ass for waking her up. Welp better introduce myself.'

"Err hi my name's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki!" Naruto smiles, looking at her with a full grin all teeth. He watches her face color, feels the emotion of satisfaction and happiness flow through her as her head lowers to face the floor.

"And you, err who are you?" Wait a minute she looks just like that one girl from the book, a fire bending prodigy never seen in the entire history of the bending nations. Although isn't she suppose to look younger? That girls only sixteen after all. "Wait, wait... I know. you're Azula. Princess Azula crown princess of the fire nation or now an ex i guess?" Oh god, he can't exactly face her, he's face to face with a literal legend of this world he glances out, at the scenery outside, the moon sure is nice tonight. Then, the feeling of satisfaction, of accomplishment he feels from her disappears only to be replaced by something more primal, more raw.

Mind numbing terror, slowly but surely transforming into burning rage.

'Holy, me and my big mouth what did I say this time. What the heck did I do.'

Naruto reacts instinctively, his hand landing roughly on her shoulder, he sees her face stiffen, the emotions within her dying down into numbness, as though she has not a care for the world.

"Thank you, you saved my life." He reads her face and her heart, feels her despair transform back into that sweet feeling of happiness, Naruto always did like to make people feel happier. Although he had no idea how it had worked in this case.

"I'll try my best to help you with one thing that you want. I may not look it but I'm quite a warrior ya know." 'Least I can do after pissing her off like that,' "I got a few rules though, I don't kill and-"

"Never betray me." Let it never be said that as the number one unpredictable shinobi Naruto had easily managed to surprise many, but the reverse not so much. The request was too simple, too straight forward, he tried to find for hidden traps but simply did not see any. 'That's simple enough I wasn't planning to any way not after she rescued me.' Then she continued.

"Never leave me, never betray me, never hurt me, forever." Naruto is perfectly fine with the last two, would have done it anyway without her asking, but he has just left a consensual prison and is not willing to enter another one so soon, not when there was a whole world to explore. He turns away, he can't agree to a condition like that.

"As long as it's within your limits of course." Naruto blinks rapidly as though in disbelief, Azula had just rescued him, and her conditions were literally what he would have done anyway. He's fine with that it's something he agree to.

"Ah I was willing to agree to the first one ya know?" 'The one that does not make me need to stay around you forever.' "It's just forever's a long time ya know?" He feels her through his link, a deep satisfaction coiling within her although he has no idea why. 'Girls... I swear I will never understand.'

"As long as it's within your limits of course." She asks him one more time as though to confirm. Yeah, he's sure of it no harm no foul.

"Ah sure, easily done. Uzumaki Naruto never breaks a promise after all!" He flashes his grin all teeth. He feels her through the passive link, feels her relief, her determination, the contradiction, as though she was going to take a leap of faith.

'Huh, what sort of risk can she take in a house this small anyway.'

She gets down on her knees and bows her head before him. Naruto's heart stills wait he recognizes this pose. Shi Tong, the fluffy bird was a closet romantic and had forced him to read all those stories of his. His eyes widen as the implications dawn on him.

'Oh god no what the heck I'm not ready!'

"Then your wishes shall be mine, as shall mine be yours. As witnessed by the light granted to us all by the great Agni, I swear to follow you for the rest of our days together." The words flow willingly, he feels her conviction, her need to say this. He is too stunned to interfere anyway.

"I promise to only love you and only you." 'Why is she doing this, I've known her for all of five minutes.' "Naruto Uzumaki, would you accept me as your wife?" 'Oh no no no no no.'

"Huh? That's a little sudden don't ya think I just woke up ya know dumping this on me." He felt her inner emotions stir, the turmoil building up again, a vision flashes by his eyes where he sees her fling herself over a cliff, or tying a knot on the ceiling.

"I... I understand." And Naruto can truly tell she does, even if she does not like it.

Her reaction to his rejection was abit extreme though he doesn't remeber acting like this after Sakura did it.

'Why always me.' He looked back at her, her face still frozen in that still expression, filled with what he now recognized as longing, twisted as it was.

"But I guess, if we'll just be together I don't mind? Let's just try out a working relationship first okay?" 'At least I can slip out of that pretty easily enough. And she won't end up killing herself too.' She tackles him burying herself in his bare chest, and he haphazardly swings his arm around her to prevent her from falling. 'That was way too sudden. I nearly dropped her!'

She looks up looking straight into his eyes full of warmth, "Than we'll be together forever Naruto, my fiancee." She buried her face into his chest once again and Naruto can only release a long sigh, full of regret.

'What did I get myself into this time... oh well'

"One day at a time."

"Yes one day at a time, future husband." Naruto released a second sigh.

'Oh god she's worse off then I thought she was.'

It was at this moment that he remebered one last tiny piece of insignificant information.

Fire nation royals could date many times, but they would only marry once.

They married once, and married for life.

And with Azula the way she was now she wasn't gonna let go no matter what he did to her. He had just agreed to marry her eventually, his decision the only factor on when.

'Seriously, I jinxed myself, why did this slip my mind until now!'

 **An: haha and thats a wrap. So even though I'm trying to go for a happy Naruto that we all know that's still kind of an idiot, mine is how to say, more like a shinobi, in that even though he is still impulsive, he has the capacity to think things through and analyze the situation. Also Wan Shi Tong is probably a bit bias and I am really bad at insults :p**  
 **Also there are a few bits of irony inside some of the statements in here.**  
 **Also one of my pet peeves, no offense to anyone, about crossovers is how if, the character just falls into a new dimension they are able to instantly understand the language the inhabitants are using.**  
 **Excuse me people, it's like if your plane crashed (touch wood please I don't mean for this to happen to anyone) in the middle of Russia and you stumble upon the little village in the middle of nowhere and everyone there just so happens to speak English.**  
 **I like to add a but of realism and challenge so yeah it was a pain in the ass to overcome, (but much needed.)**  
 **I can see why people just skip it.**  
 **So, I decided to go for one of a few routes to solve it,**  
 **1) where Azula teaches him and him her their own respective languages which brings them closer together.**  
 **2) where Naruto meets a spirit and no it was no Wan Shi Tong.**  
 **3) where he meets Wan Shi Tong and the rest is history, because I get to introduce a new spirit, 1) I had no idea how to write and no Idea how to go on with it**  
 **So viola enjoy and please support my story :)**  
 **P.s a longer chapter to make up for the short one before :)**  
 **P.p.s Also I tend to write more when inspirations strikes, which happens when I have free time. (Or when I look at my reviews love you all!) Training is going to spike in the next few weeks so releases are going to slow down a lot. I'm sorry folks D:**


	6. Chapter 5

An: **let me** **just say I hate typing on my phone I've accidentally deleted and had to remake way too many segments of this story zzz.**

Disclaimer: I own nothing

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

Flashbacks

 **Bijuu and Spirits**

* * *

Azula had worried and worked, stressed herself and hidden away to avoid drawing attention, all for a shining light that laid at the end of the tunnel. Azula knew not of what lay there at the end, and she dared not dream, not think of the what ifs.(easier said than done, and that way lay madness, but it was so tempting nonetheless)

She had been staying in this village for almost five months now, keeping in contact with Cheng to gather supplies, (to change her looks although anyone who looked closely would still recognise her) using him to market a book of advanced fire bending techniques, that focused on efficiency instead of pure power.

They were selling well and allowed her to live her life without working much, even if it was mostly sendentary.

The story she had spread around town, was that Jing (Azula), and her companion, were part of the guard forces from Guo Jing. Jing, being a women of extreme skill, and a fierce patriotic, had been promoted, placed as the captain of the sentry forces(which as far as she knew had been wiped out), the blonde, a non bender only joining to keep her safe, having tried to win her affections for many years.

Jing had come to love him as well, after being initially annoyed by his persistence, and they had promised to marry after the war had ended.

Then it had all changed on the day of the black sun. Fire benders, useless, and earth benders broke through their defense, killing most of the scouting party, and the blonde taking a sharpnel into the chest for her. After getting a boulder pinned against his right arm when he had pushed her away, losing both conciousness and his arm.

She came to this town than, after this defeat, to mourn the loss of her comrades and her fiancee.

A tragic tale, explaining the amount of time and effort she has invested.

It was nowhere close to foolproof, but the genuine sorrow she felt as each day passed, as well as a few well placed half truths had the people eating out of her palm.

To them, she was Jing, a polite and charming young woman, but cold and unapproachable.

And so time passed, the days a cycle of reptition, spent in near isolation, wallowing in anxiety and sorrow, disguised as grief and regret. The stress lines accumulated, further aging her appearance.

And she spent her time waiting.

and waiting

and waiting

* * *

Azula is lying beside him, curling into him on the bed, the moonlight streaming into the room through the window. Placing her head on his chest, Azula listens to the beating of his heart as it lulls her to sleep after another session of chi transfer.

It is all she does nowadays, outside her basic necessities, caring for him, sustaining him with chi.

Fire is life after all, new life reborn. Firebending chi of the purest form could be used to breath life into others, to fuel others through the transfer of energy from one medium to another. It came with drawbacks though, and used a part of the users lifeforce with each transfer.

No one was willing to die for another so easily. Not even Iroh had considered using it when he saw the Avatar get shot down.

And it was not a complete guarentee anyway. Excess energy could cause the receiver's organs to explode.

But Azula, despite her disfuncts, was still a perfectionist, was still able to correctly discern exactly how much she needed to transfer with each use to keep him alive, even if he would not be in the best shape when he awoke.

She looks older now, the makeup, stress lines and the technique itself all making her appear older, more frail.

'Will today be the day?' She looks up, sweat dribbling down her chin, up towards the blonde-haired man's face, the roundish chin, the three pairs of whisker marks.

The taut face, stiff, unmoving except for the up and down of his chest. She moves back down, unwilling to continue staring at this scene. It's painful, how he is so lifeless and she cannot do more to help.

'Persevere Azula, when he wakes, when he wakes...' She does not dare assume that reality would meet her ideals, that he would even listen to her after he regains consciousness (he might never recover a traitourous part whispers, she squashes the thought before she can think further).

But she has hope, belief and she would cling to it with all she has. Would cling to this chance, this hope, this lifeline with all her strength.

The slow beats of his heart serve as a steady metronome to keep her nightmares, the silent ghostly images at bay.

The flashes she sees out of the corner of her eye as soon as she leaves the room.

The visages of her parents, her brother, her uncle, her friends, her soldiers, her nation. All condemning her for failing to meet their expectations. The suffocation and panic attacks that follow are all routine now, they consume her, engulf her very being, paralyse her and prevent her from taking any further action.

She does not feel safe, secure anywhere else, the shadows mock her, as though they would wake and jump on her.

Ironically it is only here, when she is with this man, who can hardly help her, cannot even defend himself, that she feels safe.

Her safe space, her home, her sanity and light all at once.

'Wake up soon.' She lets the darkness creep in, another uneventful day, another day spent just existing, another night of dreamless sleep.

All while waiting for a man to awaken.

That is when she feels it, hears it. The flow of blood quickening, the sound of heart beats accelerating, of deepening breaths.

Heavier, faster, stronger.

She leapts up, backpeddling as she watches the colour return to his pale face, watches as his chest slowly deepens with each breath, sinking and rising just a little higher with each inhale and exhale.

She holds her breath in, fearing she would cause the situation to die if she did, her heart pounds in anticipation, for a possibility of what could come.

She glances at his hands noticing that they were twitching slightly, further inspection lets her know that he had at some point straightened his back and legs.

All too suddenly, his eyes snap open, and Azula is drawn to them, staring straight into two cerulean pools. She watches as he shakes off his disorientation, watches as they recover from their glazed look.

Watches as they focus right back at her.

And she is left breathless, those two orbs so intent, it sends shivers down her spine, yet she is reluctant to look away. She could stare into them forever.

Movement causes her to look away, watch as the man swallows saliva, to wet his throat, most likely to try to speak. She makes a mad dash for the water, filling the cup with trembling hands, she hands it over, hands still wobbly, even if he does not notice.

He finishes, and she hurries to move the cup away. Her eyes never leaving his as he tries to form his first words in months.

He stands up, towering over her slightly and looks down at her from his new vantage point opening and closing his mouth to form words.

Than he speaks.

"Err, hi! My name's Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki!" His smile sets both her face and heart ablaze and she turns away from him, unable to face him past her embarrassment.

As the personality that she was so used to, that was the identity that she had cultivated, Azula, the efficient tool, she would never have acted in this manner.

But exposure to all these foreign emotions in the past months, as Jing and the personality she attached as her, she could not help it, even with all her past experience in controlling her emotions.

"And you, err who are you?" She straightens her back, tilts her head slightly and tries to face him to give her reply, she is," Wait, wait... I know. You're Azula. Princess Azula, crown princess of the fire nation, now an ex I guess?" Oh Agni, he knows, knows who he was, would know of her pass, her deeds, her mistakes. But that was still fine, maybe he would not mind, would still accept her for who she was. She agonizingly watches as he glances past her, out the window, unwilling to meet her gaze.

Despair, why, why would he refuse, if not for the fact he was disgusted, repulsed by what she had done. Unwilling to meet her eyes even after she had saved him, literally losing months to a year of her life to sustain his. Terror soon followed, primal fear and an unwillingness to accept what had happened.

Then rage, burning hot, just like the flames that she alone wielded, threatening to erupt, to burn and consume all for their lies, their scams. Why, why was she so wrong so easily fooled by some make believe tale. She would have killed Ursa for lying to her for giving her such false hope, if not for the fact that she was already dead, unseen for the past ten years.

If she was so cursed, destined to lose all hope and drown in the abyss, then she would gladly suffocate, would throw herself into despair and drag and claw all that obstructed her path down with her.

Starting with him.

A calloused hand grabs her shoulder, startling her, preventing her from releasing the fires that flowed just under her skin, bursting for release. Inwardly, she hides back under the mask of Azula, closing off her emotions, muting them, shutting them out so she could properly finish him off without hesitation.

She could mourn later but she had to finish what she started, had shouldered for just over five months.

His face hardens in determination, in a finality, and Azula hardens her heart, pushing aside the final visages of longing she felt for this man, Naruto Uzumaki. She readies her hand, he does not suspect, cannot suspect. An aim to the throat, a small incision with a knife of flames, would be more than enough to end him.

He opens his mouth to speak and Azula waits for the perfect moment to strike, to end his life.

Now-

"Thank you, you saved my life." The wind is knocked out of her sails, and Azula flinches slightly drawing back, hiding her movement. Thanks? He is thanking her? She watches him, his face seeming to illuminate, as he breaks out into a smile.

Acceptance, such a simple word, but just staring up at him, into his eyes, devoid of trickery, Azula feels her worries melt away.

And she falls just a little deeper down the rabbit hole, becomes just a little more infatuated.

"I'll try my best to help you with one thing you want." She already knows what it is, her deepest desire, her one desperate wish, she should have never doubted him, he was perfect after all, for her. "I may not look it but I'm quite a warrior ya know?"

As the personality that she had been, as Azula, she would have tried to bind him to her, either in such a subtle way that he may not have even noticed or straightforward beyond the point of misunderstanding. Would try to control his every step and action, made it so that he bent to her will.

But as Jing, the personality that she has been cultivating, the ideal that she wanted to change herself to, she could not bring herself to force him like that. He was her salvation, and she could not bring herself to hurt him.

Even if he hurt her so.

She could only try her best to make him feel the same way.

And so she came to a compromise, a request that would appeal to both sides of her.

"I got a few rules though, I don't kill and-"

"Never betray me." Azula watches as him, watches as his face twists in disbelief, as though he had given her the world and she had rejected it.

He does not understand that for the past few months all the way up until even now, that he is her world.

Nonetheless, Azula surges forward, even as Jing gets slightly hesitant.

"Never leave me, never betray me, never hurt me, forever." Azula recognises his hesitation. A binding such as this, she would have trouble accepting too, even if she wanted it. Jing steps forward, to ease his worries, and her own.

"As long as it is within your limits of course."

Her brain protests, he could leave through the door right this instant and he would still have technically fulfilled his promise.

But her heart believes that he would not, believes that he would not so readily cast her aside on such a whim, that if he was willing to give his all for her, to her, for even just one task, that he would be willing to go along with her request until she was satisfied.

If she was ever satisfied.

And if he ever left, (unlikely as it was) she could still follow him, even stop it by expressing her interests of following him.

At least, a few years after now, when the memory of the Ex-princess Azula was more distant.

"Ah I was willing to agree to the first one ya know? It's just forever's a long time ya know?" Ah, he was willing to stay with her for as long as she wanted, was already willing to stay with her until the end and was only hesitant by forever (because he could not fulfill it). She felt the heat rise up within her, the new and unfamilar blush threatening to creep across her face.

Forever, with such an understanding person. Forever, such a simple word yet the implications were so huge. Together, no lies, tricks, manipulations.

She longed for it, had wanted it with every part of her soul for awhile now.

And now she was being given this. This golden chance, of eternal companionship freely.

"As long as it is withing your limits of course." She is willing to give him this now, the doubt in her heart, having been put to rest.

How can someone who is willing to stay with her forever leave her so readily after all. There was nothing to fear.

"Ah sure, easily done. Uzumaki Naruto never breaks a promise after all!" He gives her a grin, all teeth and she exhales.

She cannot believe what she wants to do next. She had just promised that he would be free to go whenever, but irrationally, compulsively, as though driven forward, she cannot, will not let go of such a person.

Azula will give him her all in hopes that he will reciprocate it.

That he would not smother the embers of her bussoming feelings, even if they fail or succeed.

She gets on both knees, bowing her head, her dimunitive figure fully eclisped by his under the moonlight.

She can feel his shock, even as she faces away from him, faced towards the floor. She tilts up meeting his eyes, the warm smile still present.

And she opens her heart to him, her desires.

"Then your wishes shall be mine, as (hopefully) shall mine be yours. As witnessed by the light granted upon us by the great Agni, I swear to follow you for the rest of our days together."

"I promise to love you and only you. Naruto Uzumaki, would you accept me as your wife?" She understands that he may not accept her right now, (might never accept her for the rest of her life) but she still has to try, for the small chance of that miracle.

"Huh? That's a little sudden don't ya think I just woke up ya know, dumping this on me."

Azula wants to scream, to cry out, why, why would he reject her here, now, right after she had poured her heart out to him.

But she understands, she wishes she does not, wishes so hard that she could just brush her rationality aside and lash out at him.

'I guess, I had hoped for too much after all, unknowingly overstepping my boundaries.' Heartbreak, it really is the worse feeling, like a stake through the heart, worse than Ozai's betrayal and all the others combined. And yet Azula could not pin any fault on the cause of it, had no focus to release it like all the rest.

For a moment, she considers suicide, death at least would spare her from further torment, further hurt.

But the way he looks at her, the raw concern she can discern in his gaze gives her pause. It felt bittersweet, oh so bittersweet, like being given just the tiniest bit of heaven and than it being taken from her.

She still has not given him a reply, how embarrassing.

"I... I understand." because she truly does understand, can understand why he rejects her. He knows next to nothing about her except her name and her deeds. Does not know who Azula actually is. She consoles herself that he had not said no, only why now. She could still try, could still attempt to win his affections.

He was too good for her anyway. Too pure for a soul as corrupted as hers, to even meet him like this was a blessing.

"But I guess, if we'll just get together I don't mind? Lets just try out a working relationship first okay?" She hears his words but does not immediately process them.

He accepts her, accepts her just like that? It may not be what she had been aiming for but it was not much less then what she wanted. The euphoria she is assaulted with, this sudden high is too much, this intense feeling of joy, of warmth, she could not handle. Her legs feel weak, and she felt like collapsing.

She surges forward, burying herself in his chest and his muscled arm, his only remaining one, wraps around her supporting her as her legs give out under her.

The warmth and heartbeat, were familiar sounds. But the intensity, oh the strength that they burned with now was so much more than before.

She clings just a little toghter losing herself in the rhythm of his heartbeat. Staring up at his eyes, she exposes her vulnerability to him.

'You mean so much to me... so, so, so much. If you had fully rejected me than.' She does not want to think too much about it. She had him now, and just staring at him like this caused her to feel embarrassed, oh so embarrassed.

She reburies her head into his chest, she cannot face him now.

"One day at a time." Truly? She cannot hope for more, just the two of them, one day at a time, she chokes slightly, holding back tears.

"Yes... One day at a time, my fiancee." She feels him sigh, through the contact of her face against his chest, and realizes her inconsideration, making him support her like this even if he seems so strong.

"Please, lay and rest."

"Err, it's okay ya know? I'll just take the spare, would be kinda inconsiderate of me to take the bed-" She stops him before he can continue, weighing her body against his frame, onto the bed behind him.

"You might not know this, but I only own one bed. And even if you were unconscious, we have been doing this for months before you awoke." She closes her eyes, feeling embarrassed, why had she admitted so, but pushes on.

Reopening them, she looks straight up at him.

"Naruto, it is late, and even though you may not feel it, you may still be weak." She does not break eye contact, watching as he cycles through indecision.

She only wants whats best for him, and she cannot help him in his current state as she is.

He has to rest, even if he seemed fine now, she has to rest too, she had been going to before his abrupt awakening, her previous tired state along with her current weak mental state after the conversation left her drained.

And selfishly, she wanted him to rest now with her, so she could spend time with him properly tomorrow.

She feels him relax beneath her and she calms down too as though in sync, her head lowering itself onto his chest.

"Good night, Naruto." She closes her eyes, being lulled into a deep peaceful sleep fortified partly by mental exhaustion and his heartbeats, nearly missing his parting words.

"Ah, good night I guess, Azula-hime."

It is the most restful sleep she has had for the past few months.

* * *

She wraps up a parchment in her hands, containing her deepest feelings, the sound of soft snores travel behind her, the object of her affections still fast asleep.

The paper contains what she wants to tell him, what she wants to so desperately share with him, but for some reason cannot.

She considers burning it, burying her words in cinders, never to be exposed. And yet something within her stops her, causes her to pause.

She ends up keeping it within the fold of her cloths.

Standing up and stretching, Azula ponders on what to do next now that her savior was awake.

Now that Naruto was awake.

The sound of growling snaps her out of her daze, brings her back to reality as Naruto flips on the bed, slightly grabbing his stomach.

Right, she would go ahead and prepare some breakfast before he woke up, something light, probably porridge, he had not eaten anything in months after all.

And so Azula set out, to try and prepare a meal for her future husband.

* * *

 **An: Welp I finally managed to squeeze out enough time to finish this update, the conversation may seem a bit different from the previous chapter and that's because it is. I've gone back to look at it abit and changed it abit to fit what I envisioned more. Chapter 5 should have changed as well.**

 **The next few updates I'll be going back to earlier chapters to imprpve the grammer and flow instead of going forward abit, re-reading your own story lets me find out parts where it seemed to fit before hand just turn up different from what I imagined so yeah, I am gonna correct it.**

 **Now for Naruto's Pov**

 **Omake: Naruto**

"Please, lay and rest."

'What I mean I just came over from the spirit world I wanna stretch my legs abit ya know?' Looking back into golden eyes, Naruto can only see concern for his well-being in them, which only serves to makes him feel guilty as though he was doing something wrong by wanting to run around in the first place.

"Err, it's okay ya know? I'll just take the spare, would be kinda inconsiderate of me to take the bed-"She presses against him, pushing him against the bed, looking at him with those pair of golden eyes.

'Aye! She's too forward I can't stay here.'

"You might not know this, but I only own one bed. And even if you were unconscious, we have been doing this for months before you awoke." Ah shit, if she puts it that way it would mean there wasn't anywhere else to crash.

'Well I could always sleep on a tree outside or something ya know?' Azula closes her eyes, before reopening them, staring back at him.

"Naruto, it is late, and even though you may not feel it, you may still be weak."

'Huh? Me, weak! I'll show you weak!' He struggles slightly harder, trying to get her off without hurting her, quite hard despite her small frame.

"Don't leave me..." but then he hears it, the soft whisper under her breath, probably uttered while Azula was somewhere between asleep and delusion, and he loses the will, the fighting spirit to continue.

'Argh whatever, I'll just kawarimi out when she falls asleep.' He stops struggling, and he can feel her relief as she literally collapses on top of him, her right hand gripping onto his left.

"Good night, Naruto."

"Ah, good night I guess, Azula-hime." He waits literal seconds, before noticing signs that she has fallen asleep, the slower lighter breaths, the slower pulse felt through contact against her hands.

And Naruto prepares for his greatest escape yet.

Escape from the bosom!

And then realizes he is lacking certain tools for it.

More specifically, his right arm.

For all his skill with the rasengan, let it be said that Naruto was never good at handseals, or his foresight, Naruto being a more impulsive person never really thought much past plan A, preferring to create plan B to whatever on the spot.

And he had forgotten that he could only perform the kawarimi with two arms, and that currently he only had one.

'Oh come on! How can critical information like this, ABOUT MYSELF EVEN, slip my mind twice today!'

And so Naruto spent the next few hours stuck near motionless in bed, Minor movement causing Azula to react, each action putting them in more intimate positions.

The process to sleep was pure torture for one who just wanted to go out and see the world, worse still, it constrained a hyperactive one like him in fear of comprimising Azula even more.


End file.
